Recommended Reading

Most of this information is freely available somewhere on the web (see our sites page), but it can be very helpful to have everything laid out in a logical, consistent format. I think everyone should read at least one book from the General Investing section. I also strongly encourage everyone to read about investor behavior, since that’s the source of the most costly investing mistakes. It’s covered in the better general investing books, but I list a couple of dedicated titles for those who want to delve further into the topic. The books in the Financial History section are for those who wish to go beyond the basics. A more comprehensive list is available on the Books: Recommendations and Reviews page of the Bogleheads Wiki. Compiled by webmaster Alex Frakt.

This book was a collaborative effort by the members of the Bogleheads forum and covers the entire spectrum of retirement planning, including: investing, taxes, retirement plans, personal finance, insurance and estate planning issues. The book is an invaluable aid in helping understand and plan out the confusing array of financial options that we all face from the very start of our working lives all the way through retirement. As the investing section is necessarily brief, I would pair this book with one from the following section.

You cannot go wrong with Bill Bernstein’s books, this is my #1 choice for anyone interested in going beyond the most basic investment primer. My previous favorite all-in-one investing book, The Four Pillars of Investing, is an earlier work by Dr. Bernstein that covers much the same ground, but is a bit longer and more technically oriented. Note the link is to the latest version, with a 2010 postscript that brings the book up to date. For reviews and content, see the original version

Too light on content for my tastes, but a short and fun read and perhaps the best choice for introducing investing concepts to those who need to know them, but are unwilling to take on something more comprehensive. Our members give out a lot of these as gifts.

Investor Behavior

Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them: Lessons from the Life-Changing Science of Behavioral Economics – by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich.

Updated version of this classic.

Investor Behavior

Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today – by Larry Swedroe

Investor Behavior

Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich – by Jason Zweig

Financial History

Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation – by Edward Chancellor